SHARE AND CARE NEPAL Lalitpur Environmental Policy 2066 (2009) Share and Care Nepal P.O. Box: 10657 Kathmandu
Table of Content CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND... 2 CHAPTER 2: OBJECTIVES... 2 CHAPTER 3: POLICIES/STRATEGIES... 2 CHAPTER 4: WORK TO BE DONE... 3 Environmental Policy- Share and Care Nepal 1 of 5
Chapter 1: Background Nepal's ecology and environment are diverse and sensitive. A rapidly growing population is putting pressure on the natural resource base, particularly water, land, and forest resources. Much of the forestland between the Himalayas and the Terai has been cleared to provide room for crops, livestock, and human settlement. Landslides, erosion, and slope instability are common, particularly during the monsoon. These are exacerbated by the loss of vegetation, unmanaged water, and construction works. As a result, large segments of the topsoil on the hillsides are washed away every monsoon season. Population growth, together with haphazard urbanization and spreading transport links, has contributed to deforestation, overuse of limited available land for agricultural purposes, increasing congestion and sprawl-type development in urban centers, and environmental degradation associated with the disposal of solid wastes and other forms of pollution. The industrial base is limited, but this has already contributed to a variety of pollution problems at the local level. The rapidly deteriorating environmental and natural resource base has contributed to poverty, as people find it more and more difficult to meet their basic resource needs in a sustainable manner. The high poverty incidence implies that there will be continued pressure on the natural resource base leading to further degradation of forests and water resources, a decrease in soil fertility, and an increase in land and air pollution. Given this intertwining of environmental degradation and poverty, sustainable use of natural resources is instrumental for Nepal's poverty reduction and development. As many other development partners are already active in the sector, Share and Care Nepal will not remain alone without much more interventions in environment protection work. Share and Care Nepal implemented projects will be undertaken in a manner that is environment friendly, builds on community involvement, and is ecologically sustainable. Share and Care Nepal will also encourage community-based management as a means of protecting the environment and safeguarding fragile natural resources. Chapter 2: Objectives To check the deforestation To conserve the biodiversities To protect and conserve the land To check the soil erosion To manage the solid wastes around the place To manage the water resources properly To check the problem of water and air pollution To manage the environment friendly transport sector Chapter 3: Policies/Strategies Supporting the dissemination of different environmental policies declared by GoN Supporting the locals for following of environmental polices during the different development projects. Exercising the coordination, linkage, and integration between environmental and development activities Environmental Policy- Share and Care Nepal 2 of 5
Advocating the incorporation of environmental management concepts in local development planning, management, implementation and monitoring, on a sustainable basis Strengthening the capacity of CBO's and the Private Sector Organizations (PSOs) to effectively provide a range of environment services Strengthen the capacities of locals to promote an enabling policy environment and dissemination of information on environmental management practices, and its regulations Higher consideration on environmental issues which are already identified as priority concerns by Nepalese, including: forest depletion; watershed contamination; land degradation; bio-diversity depletion; unsustainable population growth; household's immediate environment and insufficient attention to community environmental education programs, etc Capacity strengthening for better environmental management at local level Strengthening of financial management systems for environmental management at local level Community ownership and emphasis on transparency Strengthening of vertical and horizontal networking for better environmental management Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Increased participation of women and minority groups Chapter 4: Work to be done Instrumentation of some specialized training and skill development packages Launching of training, strengthening and awareness activities/campaigns focusing on community environmental strengthening Training, Strengthening and Awareness Activities Forestry, Fuel and Energy (ICS, biogas, fire control, medicinal plant identification, and cultivation, forest management, etc.) Water, Sanitation and Health (use of toilet, waste mgmt., reproductive health, sanitation improvement, water quality improvement, etc) Agriculture and Soil Conservation (agriculture, vegetable farming, horticulture, floriculture, IPM, composting, terrace management, drip irrigation, coffee planting, multiple cropping management, greening road, etc.) Livestock and Animal Health (cattle farming, livestock management, basic animal health, shed management, improved grass, etc.) Environmental Awareness Programme (Observation tour, street drama, poem/essay/quiz competition, folk song and cultural program, talk programme, seminar and environmental education, rally and documentary, etc.) Gender and Institutional Development (Gender training, capacity building, leadership development, institutional development, etc.) Work for promotion of Village Rural Environmental Systems Appraisal (VIRESA) followed by Village Environmental Development Planning (VEDP) process Practice the successful approaches and practices (like appreciation of local community's knowledge, high level trust to the local communities, devolution of environmental functions associated with capacity enhancement, adoption of true participatory Environmental Policy- Share and Care Nepal 3 of 5
approach, addressing environmental needs in a holistic manner, demand-led project activities, etc.) Advocate and work in the issues of o Better capacity building of key development institutions; o More rigorous and in-depth project feasibility studies; o More extensive sector and policy analysis; o Increased beneficiary participation; o More careful assessment of the absorptive and financial capacity of the executing agencies to implement the projects; o Adequate provision of operation and maintenance mechanism; o Increased frequency and duration of environmental review missions; o Detailed midterm review missions; and o Improved monitoring and evaluation systems In the projects executed by different institutions. Environmental Policy- Share and Care Nepal 4 of 5